This invention relates to apparatus for collecting and storing used metallic containers and, more particularly, machines for collecting, crushing and storing used beverage cans in those jurisdictions where container deposit legislation has been enacted, and for return to consumers of deposits on beverage cans so collected.
With the increasing emphasis in recent years on energy conservation, the recycling of metallic containers such as beverage cans has become an important factor in the conservation effort. More specifically, the recycling of aluminum cans has proven to be remarkably efficient in energy saving. Yet only a fraction of the total annual production of aluminum beverage cans is recovered after use, with the remainder being discarded often as litter. Recovery of steel or other metal containers is also desireable for environmental and economic reasons.
As a result of these problems, many jurisdictions have now enacted mandatory deposit laws which require deposits on all beverage containers including cans. Such laws create additional problems for the grocery industry and a great deal of attention has been directed to the development of an efficient and effective method for receiving returned containers and paying the necessary deposit refunds. However, to date no refund system is believed to have successfully solved the refund problems discussed, and an inordinate amount of time and effort is presently spent on the part of the grocery industry in effecting refunds in those jurisdiction which require deposits.
Several machines have been developed in the prior art for encouraging the recovery and recycling of metallic containers. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,857,334 and 3,907,087 disclose apparatus for crushing metallic containers and discharging refund coins or tokens in exchange therefor. U.S. Pat. No. RE 27,643 describes a process and apparatus for collection of metal containers in which tokens are automatically dispensed for the containers collected. In general, the prior art machines induct any type of inserted container, and then utilize some type of sensing means for differentiating between those containers for which a token is to be dispensed and those containers for which no payment is to be made. For example, Arp, U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,334 includes control means for issuing a token only when cans of a given size, weight and design are crushed in the machine. Myers, U.S. Pat. No. RE 27,643 discloses a mechanism which utilizes a plurality of bar magnets for separating cans formed of magnetic material from non-magnetic cans.
Several of the prior art apparatus are designed to take advantage of the shape of the container in feeding the metallic containers into the apparatus. This type of feeding mechanism has an inherent drawback in that the containers must be sufficiently close to their original shape to roll down an inclined surface. As a result, a large majority of containers which have been totally or partially crushed by the user, cannot be fed into such machines efficiently. In addition, the sensing or differentiating mechanisms of the prior art machines do not appear to be adaptable to operation on partially or fully crushed containers of different sizes.
At least one prior art machine has included a mechanism for effecting direct repayment of deposits. Arp, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,493 describes a device for use with a can having an identifying indicia in the form of a specially shaped can identifying indicia embossed on one end thereof. Two probe members sense the presence of the can indicia, and complete a circuit when the indicia is present to effect payout of the applicable deposit. This mechanism apparently requires that the container be sufficiently close to its original shape so that the ends of the container will align with and complete a circuit through the probes. It also requires that one end of every deposit container has the indicia embossed thereon, and that the can be held in a particular orientation for sensing.
Since a large proportion of beverage cans are crushed or flattened by a user, the type of indicia and sensing mechanisms found in the prior art may not be useful to effect direct return deposit payout on such cans. Furthermore, the prior art machines have difficulty accepting such cans at all.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved container collection apparatus which is capable of readily accepting containers in their originally manufactured shape, or containers which have been manually deformed by consumers, and which returns a deposit directly to the consumer for each accepted container on which a deposit has been previously made.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a container collection machine with a sensing mechanism which can readily detect the presence of both aluminum and steel containers of varying sizes, can do so prior to accepting the inserted container into the interior of the machine, and can also detect the presence of an identifying indicia on the can for direct payment of a return deposit.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved container collection apparatus with a mechanism for detecting the presence of both aluminum and steel containers which have been deformed from their originally manufactured shape.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an improved method of collecting and storing empty aluminum and steel containers and providing direct payment of a return deposit therefor.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.